Island



'(No Model.)

M. M. BLISS.

CORSET.

No. 472,613. Patented Apr. 12, 1892.

WITNESSES I INVEN'Z'OCR ma norms ravens 120., more-Luna, wnsumcrnu, m c

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARY M. BLISS, OF PAWTUOKET, RI-IODE ISLAND.

CORSET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,613, dated April 12, 1892.

Application filed October 26, 1891. Serial No. 409.810- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARY M. BLIss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corsets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to so improve the construction of corsets having vertical bones running from top to bottom as to almost entirely prevent breakage of the bones and stays at the waist, while at the same time'an easy and perfect fit is given to the corset and a-comfortable support to the waist. It is of course well understood that corsets for ordinary use are required to be non-yielding and inelastic at the waist. For this reason it is preferred that the bones should extend from the top to the bottom of the corset. On the other hand, it is equally important that the corset should be so constructed as to permit free and ample movement of the body, as in bending or stooping. The result has been that with ordinary vertically-boned corsets the bones have broken so quickly at the waist as to frequently render the corsets useless while otherwise not worn in the slightest.

My invention is especially applicable to vertically-boned corsets, as it gives strength at just the position where it is required and prevents breakage of the bones. It prevents the corset from yielding at all at the waist-' line, as the band is absolutely non-yielding longitudinally, but permits ample movement of the body, as the band is quite yielding and elastic transversely, but giving at all times a perfect support to the waist.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevation of a corset in the extended position; Fig. 2, a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the back edge of one of the sections; Fig. 3, a section on the line as :1: in Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a perspective of the corset with the sections clasped together as in use.

1 denotes sections of a corset having the usual vertical pockets 4:, containing bones, extending from top to bottom thereof; 5, the front stays; 6, the back stays, and A my novel its shape.

bands, which are made from strips of cloth cut bias, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This band, when in place, consists of a series of pockets denoted by 2, which are formed by seams 3, running longitudinally of the strip- These seams, in addition to forming the pockets, serve, also, in practice to attach the bands to the corset. The pockets are filled with strips of whalebone or cord 7; or,

y if preferred, stays made from vegetable fiber may be used. These bones extend the entire width of the corset from edge to edge and are firmly attached to both front and back stays by stitching or in any suitable manner. The number of pockets and bones is of course not of the essence of my invention. I have shown nine in the drawings and have used this number in practice and find it to meet the re quirements perfectly.- When nine or any uneven number of pockets and bones is used, the middle bone is placed directly over the waist-line. In use the band above and below the waist-line will yield amply to meet the requirements of use, but at the same time will give a firm but yielding support to the vertical bones, thus preventing them from breaking and enabling a much smaller number of vertical bones to be used than has heretofore been required to make a corset retain Thisadds greatly to the comfort of the wearer and is of importance to the manufacturer, as it materially lessens the originalcost of production.

Having thus described my invention, I claim The combination, With a corset having bones extending from top to bottom and the usual front and back stays, of a band the center of which is placed at the waist-line, said band being made from a strip of cloth cut bias and consisting of a series of longitudinal pockets formed by seams, each pocket containing a suitable resilient stay and extending from extreme edge to edge of the section and covering and being attached firmly to the front and back stays at the waist-line.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARY M. BLISS.

Witnesses:

J. B. RYDER, H. A. RYDER. 

